Samurai Jack: The Movie
by metalguru
Summary: The quest ends. Jack must find the three stones which will grant him one wish, while being hunted by his greatest foe. Jumps back and forth between comic on my deviantart page.
1. Prologue

The sun slowly set in the evening sky over the beautiful mountains in the distance. In the capital of the great empire, the voices of the merchants in the marketplace had grown hoarse over the course of the day, while the fishermen tied their boats in the harbor after a long day searching the river for the best catch.

This city, the jewel of a mighty empire, was enormously impressive despite its young age. For ten years ago this city had been a small hamlet, a sleepy fishing village, while the capital was nestled deep within the very mountains that the final slivers of sunlight flickered over. But for thousands of years prior, a great plague had spread over the land, threatening to engulf the empire in its darkness.

Ten years ago, the mighty emperor, his wife with child, decided that he would not allow his child to enter this world with such a threat already overtaking their land. Honorable to a fault, he rode out with his army to rid the blackness from this land.

What he did not know was that even with the most noble intentions, actions done in hate only bring more sorrow, and so it was, that when the emperor fired the poison-tipped arrow which was supposed to destroy the plague, instead his hatred gave it shape, consciousness, and a name: Aku.

Aku proceeded to enslave the emperor, destroy his capital, and decimate all who fought against him. When all hope was seemingly lost, a white horse appeared to the emperor and took him to the highest mountain, where three deities chose him to destroy Aku. Using the goodness in his heart, they forged a magic sword, and told the emperor the secret to destroy Aku forever…

But unfortunately, the Emperor did not heed their words. He charged into battle against Aku with thoughts of vengeance for his wife, who had most certainly perished in the inferno that engulfed his home. After an epic battle, the emperor managed to imprison Aku in a gnarled tree. Mourning his loss, the emperor was overjoyed to find his wife alive, a miracle, but even more so now that she had given birth to a son.

As they stood overtop of the ruins of the city, though it tore his heart to do so, the emperor knew what he must do. Someday, if evil ever returned, his child might have to take up the sword.

"We must learn from this day, we must be prepared should this evil ever return. We must have a plan."

* * *

Ten years ago, as the old capitol lay freshly razed and the survivors of Aku's wrath searched for their fellow refugees, there lay a house, the house of a mighty warrior in the employ of the emperor. A righteous and honorable man who was well thought of by the emperor, he had gone out with his beloved emperor to battle the darkness. However, only the emperor had returned from that battle.

His estate, considered one of the most beautiful, now lay destroyed, a smoldering ruin, the roof having collapsed onto its occupants. Through a sliver of light from the outside, the sounds of workers searching for survivors could be heard.

Through this hall there crawled a small sliver of a black gel. Not even the size of a finger, it crawled like a worm and reflected no light. Cut off from its consciousness, who now lay sealed in a barren tree in the center of the city, it reverted back to its most primitive notion – survival. Exploring the shattered ruins of the estate, it searched for the only living thing left inside.

As the emperor assisted his people with searching for the survivors, he heard a faint noise for a second. He thought it was simply the wind. Then he heard it again. A wail came through the darkness. Turning to its source, he saw one of his warriors approaching him, carrying a bundle in his arms. The warrior handed the bundle to his emperor.

Inside was a crying baby girl, only a few weeks old.

"My emperor, everyone in her household…" He spoke in sad respect.

The emperor nodded his head. No more needed to be said. The emperor handed the girl to his wife. The baby girl continued to cry as the baby prince reached out to try and grasp this strange new creature.

"I will ensure she is given a good home," said the emperor. The warrior bowed and went back to his search.

The emperor and his wife held their child and their new charge. A terrible day this had been, not the day of celebration which it should have been. Was this a sign of things to come? Would they know peace and joy, only to have it immediately cut down?

The emperor noticed that the girl had a cut on her chest, right in the center of her sternum. It was a cut that looked deep, yet didn't bleed. It was small, like a paper cut. But rather than red, it was the deepest color of black he had ever seen.


	2. The Nightmare

"What do you want to do when you get older?"

As the sun went down over the mountains, the young Prince sat in a wheat field with his little friend. She was her first love, as much love as a ten year old can have. Puppy love, it's called. But she did give him his first kiss, in this very same field. He had on his little white and gray clothes, while she wore her yellow and orange dress. They both had black hair, hers long while his was tied in a little loptop on the back of his head.

"I don't get it. What do you mean?"

An honest question. His path was already set. Grow up, learn the way of the sword, and take his father's place on the throne of the empire.

"I mean, what do you want to do when you grow up, in the future?"

Her path, though, wasn't set. Growing up the ward of the emperor, though beholden to no one, she was a wild child, far from the upright lady she was expected to become. Maybe it was why the young Prince liked to be with her, even with her strange questions and habits.

"What do I want to be?"

Now this was an easy question for the young Prince. Ever since he had the fortune of seeing the Lone Wolf himself, the Prince had but one passion in his heart. Reaching to pick up a long stick on the ground, he held it like a sword and swung it in a passing blow.

"I want to be the greatest warrior that ever lived!"

The girl giggled. She petted Big Dog, who sat next to her quietly dreaming about food.

"Not going to happen."

She had a sarcastic tone. In the distance, Little Dog chased his tail madly, but in the end it still had a death grip on his behind.

"I will be the best. I promise."

The Prince knew he could accomplish this goal, because who was going to stand in his way?

"I mean, you won't become the best, because I'm going to be the best!"

The little girl's confident tone caught the young Prince off-guard.

"What?!?" He couldn't believe what she was saying. "You can't be the best! I said I was already going to do it!

She laughed at him.

"Well, if you're my competition, then this should be easy."

The Prince groaned.

"One, not funny, two, you're on."

The little girl removed the pin holding her hair tight under her little headdress and beckoned the Prince to hold out his hand. She pricked his finger and let a little blood drip.

"Ow."

The Prince put the finger to his mouth and sucked the small drop of blood. The little girl pricked her own finger.

"Oh stop being a baby."

They held out their fingers and lined their hands up.

"Ready?" The Prince nodded to his friend. The two of them pressed their fingers together, letting a little blood from each of fingers drip.

The girl spoke first.

"The bet is, whoever becomes the better warrior wins."

They pulled their fingers apart. The young Prince spoke first.

"If I win, you have to say I'm the best. And if you win…"

"You have to marry me!"

She had caught him off-guard. Not for a second did he think she would throw out such a silly bet. But, now that it was out in the open, it embarrassed him to no end.

"Ha ha, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!" She danced with Big Dog, celebrating her victory over the stunned Prince.

At a loss for words, the Prince stammered. "That's not fair! You…you can't bet that! It's not…"

"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" Little Dog yammered at something.

The Prince turned towards his pet, really not in the mood to deal with this right now.

"Little dog, what are you?"

The Prince turned towards the object that Little Dog was barking at. Towards…and up. In front of him, a massive shadow covered him. It led to an enormous figure, like a giant pole, but with what appeared to be blades coming out the head. The figure appeared to be made from black liquid, a darker substance than he had ever seen. It towered over the city, the darkness of night lit by the fires that burned the city. Smoke billowed high into the sky.

It was the darkness, the evil that his father had told him about, warned him about, and forever feared: Aku.

Aku spread his darkness over the city, the countryside, and approached the Prince. He reached out with his dark claw, heading straight for the Prince.

What could the young Prince do? He wanted to be a warrior, but right now he was just a boy. His father would know what to do. He wished his father was here. He did the only thing he could think of. He covered his eyes and wished Aku would go away.

"AAAHHH!"

_NO._

The Prince opened his eyes in horror. Aku hadn't grabbed him. He had grabbed his friend. Slowly the sorcerer lifted the girl into the air, holding her high above him. As the Prince watched in terror, the massive demon opened his mouth wide open, revealing massive sharpened teeth.

And then…he dropped her.

"AAAHHH! HELLPPP MEEE!"

* * *

KA-CHOOM!

"AH!"

Jack awoke from the terrible nightmare to find himself right where he had stopped for the night, under the single remaining tree left in a burned out forest. When he had stopped, the night had been warm and quiet. Now, a raging lightning storm broke out overhead. When the lightning flashed, the night became bright as day. Otherwise, there was no light source whatsoever in this remote location…

…except for the glowing red eyes circling the tree where Jack sat.

KA-CHOOM!

The lightning flash revealed their forms, black against the light. Jack stood and unsheathed his sword in total blackness.

Ching!

KA-CHOOM! Jack cut his first opponent in half as lightning crashed into the tree, setting it on fire. Now the battle was lit by the fire of the tree as Jack took on these new robot bounty hunters. One by one, they fell to his blade, running each through with his magical sword, the night sky lit by the red of their explosions, the fury of the storm seemingly growing worse, matching the intensity of the battle.

Jack cut the off the head of another robot bounty hunter, then dove across the ground and slashed another bounty hunter stuck mid-air in his jump. The final bounty hunter ran off, no doubt to continue the legend and send more ambitious bounty hunters after him. But Jack didn't want more fighters coming after him. Stepping off into the night, he resumed his almost endless quest. He was tired, having only slept a few hours before being awoken, and the nightmare had taken a toll on him.

What occurred in that nightmare had never happened. The nightmare had taken place at night, while Aku had attacked during the day. He HAD seen his friend one last time before leaving home to begin his training. But what worried him the most was that, of the people he cared about, he knew what happened to his father and mother. He had met his mother and rescued his father before being sent to this horrid future. But the fate of that little girl remained unknown.

The night returned to blackness as the rain put out the fires. But if Jack turned around to look behind him, he would have seen the final lightning flash illuminated the newly burned tree. In the tree there sat a dark figure, holding a raven on its arm, its dark silhouette emblazoned by the white lightning flash.


	3. Chamai Chamai

Across the many lands of earth under Aku's rule, much of the world is barren, plagued, or burned so viciously by the forces of the merciless sorcerer that not a single plant grew all the way to the horizon.

But there were a few areas that had yet to be touched by the pestilence that held power over the world, or had been reinvigorated by the loss of humans and the ignorance of the aliens who regulated themselves to the city. These few places of solace contained hints of the beauty that once existed on the planet, both the abundance of nature and the majesty of human imagination.

Far away from Aku's cities, across the mountains and through the desert, there lies a river as green as emerald. Situated in a misty valley, it is a gem still hidden in the rough. It is the place to hide a business, especially a profitable one, away from the exorbitant taxes levied on the people by the demon. But, more importantly, it is the perfect place to hide a weapon that can destroy Aku forever.

Tonight, a deep fog had come over the river, dipping low over the green waters. Sitting perched over the water like a bird on its hind legs, a massive pagoda stretched out over the river. Built in the old style of a Japanese restaurant, the sounds of laughter and music stretched out into the night.

The cloth covering the entrance parted aside as a man dressed in a white and gray gi with a straw hat covering his head entered. At his side he carried a sword, and from the way he held it, he definitely knew how to use it. He walked in slowly and sat down at a mat near the back. It was his experience that there was always a chance he would be met with hostile intent, and despite his skill in escaping from sticky situations, he still preferred to be left in peace when he could. This was the curse of being the most wanted man on earth, Samurai Jack.

Inside the nightclub there were no seats. The patrons all sat on mats and were served with trays. But there was no discontent from the clients. There were no humans inside, but there were humanoid creatures, various aliens, and robots all dressed in suits. They were served by robotic geishas, whose hands opened into trays. More robots played the shamisan, adding music to the jovial surroundings. Most of the other patrons paid the wandering warrior no attention.

One of the robot geishas rolled over to his place and bowed low.

"Good evening, sir. Can I take your order?" Her voice was that of a pre-recorded tape, but it was sweet to the ear.

"Hot water, please," responded the gentlemen.

The geisha reached behind her with her right arm. When she returned it in front of her, her hand had become a tray carrying a glass of hot water. The samurai didn't bother to ask how she (it?) had accomplished this.

"Is there anything else I can get you right now?"

"Yes," said the samurai. "I would like to see the guardian."

The geisha did not move for a moment as its CPU whirred and clicked.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't understand that request. Please reinput."

The samurai sipped his water. "I am looking for the Guardian of the Immortal Stones." He looked at the robot from underneath his straw hat to judge her reaction.

Since the geisha was a robot, her face remained frozen with a white skin tone, closed eyes and a permanent slight smile. However, this time her reaction was a bow. Without an answer, the geisha-bot stood and rolled towards the back of the restaurant. Jack took another look at his surroundings. The building was supposed to emulate the architecture of his homeland, but was more garish and over-the-top then any building he had ever known. Statues of samurai stood next to dragons and powerful lions, and the center of the building had a glass bottom where people could look into the waters below and see the many coy fish in the river below. This had to be the right place, if for no other reason then it was too coincidental that the weapon capable of destroying Aku was being hidden in a Japanese-style restaurant.

The back wall was a stage, with a catwalk jutting out into the room. Right now, the curtains were down and no performance was underway. All that could be heard were the many conversations being held overtop of the shamisan.

* * *

In the backroom of the club, multiple screens that seemed to be floating in the air all focused in on the samurai. A lone figure sat in front of them. Three eyes stared at the samurai, taking in his every move. These eyes had watched the samurai since he had come to this terrible age, his many trials and tribulations, and had waited…wondering… when the handsome young man would finally make his way here.

The robotic geisha was standing next to the figure.

"He is asking for the guardian. Shall I turn him away?"

A left hand waved the geisha away. It bowed and began to return to its duties.

"Wait."

The one left hand was joined by two more - both left.

"He could prove useful. He isn't the only one after the stones."

* * *

Suddenly, the lights went off in the restaurant. A cheer went up from the crowd in the building as all the spotlights focused on the stage. The cry of ten shamisans went up. Small petals of white cotton started to fall on the catwalk.

The curtain parted and a white umbrella covered the performer on stage. The performer stepped forward onto the catwalk and lifted the parasol into the air.

Beneath the parasol was a woman, her skin painted white in sharp contrast to her raven-black hair, as if her features would disappear into the white. Her kimono had drawn on the fabric intricately threaded flowers and designs, and though it had multiple layers, it moved as if it was a part of her body. She stepped out onto the catwalk, pushing the cotton with her silk-covered feet. The cotton continued to fall on the parasol, lightly floating like new fallen snow.

The entire building was silent except for the shamisan. The woman made no sound with her steps. Everyone was staring. Jack realized her was staring too.

The woman closed her eyes. Her words passed through her lips like a whisper, yet everyone in the house could hear her.

"Breath…close to me…not from you…see…you…my dream…there's nothing to do but breathe…just breathe…"

She took one hand off the parasol and lifted it into the air.

"I'm brought you something close to me…left with something you…see through your head…you…are my dream…there's nothing to do but believe… just believe…just breathe…"

She lowered the parasol and the music stopped. The cotton still floated down, now beginning to get into her hair and land on her face.

A beat started. It was soft at first, but gained strength with every second. The rhythm starting to pulse through every person in the establishment, quickening their heart beats if they had them or forcing their motor oil to go faster through their artificial veins.

_Oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never, oh never…_

Now the solemn opening act was replaced with a dance theme. The robot geishas appeared on stage. Their hands opened, replaced this time not with trays but fans. They began to twirl their fans to the beat.

The woman began to dance. Slowly at first, but picking up her steps to match the rhythm of the song. She bobbed to and fro, and then twirled. Then she sang:

"I can't, I can't, I can't… I can't be with you again… don't remind me of the good times that we had…I learned from us instead… and I never want these feelings to ever come again, oh no… you'll never hear me crying, you'll never see me trying, to love you once again, your love is so past tense… you'll never hear me crying, you'll never see me trying, to love you once again, your love is so past tense…"

It was a sad and mournful song, but it captivated everyone the audience's attention.

"To think you had me fooled every now and then, you had me believing that I was the reason that you left… but I won't fall back in love with you again, I don't even want to be your friend…no no no…"

The entire audience was on its feet and the room filled with a symphony of applause and cheers. Money and roses flew from every direction, but the woman paid no attention to them.

For the first time since the woman walked onstage, Jack realized that he had not averted his gaze during the entire performance. Had he even blinked? He didn't know. But his hands joined together almost involuntarily, and soon he was clapping along with the crowd, although he did not stand or call out like his boisterous dinner mates.

A fat finger tapping him on the shoulder grabbed Jack's attention. Behind him three monstrous creatures dressed in white vests with small black bowties stood with their arms folded.

"Excuse me sir, but how will you be paying for your meal?"

Jack looked back at the stage. The curtains had lowered and the performance was over.

"I am not here for a meal. I want to see the guardian."

The bouncer cracked his knuckles.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The samurai didn't budge.

"I refuse."

The bouncers grinned.

"You just don't get it, do you?"

The two sidekick bouncers grabbed Jack on each arm. In one smooth movement, Jack thrust out his elbows, sending both bouncers off-balance, then grabbed them both in a headlock.

"Fight! Fight!" The cry went up amongst the patrons. Normally fights weren't very interesting as the bouncers threw out troublemakers, but this troublemaker was currently holding two of the fiercest under his arms.

The eyes of the robot geishas turned red. They circled Jack and raised their hands. Instead of trays or fans, this time their hands split into razor sharp blades.

"Music!" cried the bouncer.

The stage curtain rose, with the stage this time being filled with creatures that looked as if they wandered out of a hindu storybook. The performers were colored blue and green and had multiple appendages. There were humanoid elephants and tigers that danced across the stage. In the center, an alien girl with three eyes, blond hair, and two arms stuck out her arms and sang:

"Chamai chamai!"

The geishas twirled their blades around their wrists, moving so fast they appeared as a blur. The big bouncer lunged for Jack. Jack threw the two smaller bouncers at him, but the bruiser knocked them both aside.

"Hey chamai chamai! Chamai chamai, wahdeii-eiye-a, eiiyah!"

The bartender rang a bell, shouting "bets! Take your bets! Two to one on the house! Ten to one on the challenger!"

Jack rolled backward as the bouncer dived, planting his feet squarely in the creature's chest and launching him into two geisha-bots.

The segment of the geisha-bots which contained their arms was on a swivel, so they rotated the deadly blades around their bodies like spinning tops. Jack rolled backward and then jumped off the ground as two geisha tried to take him top and bottom, only to end up cutting themselves. Jack drew his sword and blocked the fifth geisha's blade, which ground to a halt on the mystic sword. The geisha tried to hit Jack with it's other blade, but Jack chopped it's arm off and then it's wheels, causing the robot to fall to the ground.

"Itk-sa la, commemi, basuree comma lately, chamai chamai, eh chamai cuw!"

Jack ducked; dodging the final geisha's blades, then spun and cut the geisha-bot in two. It fell to pieces in front of him.

The crowd roared in approval. They didn't care if it was scripted or not.

"Whoooooooooweeeooooooweeoooooooooaaaaaaaaoooooooooeeeeooooooooeeeee!

A singing voice filled the air. The crowd turned towards the stage where a new player had taken center role. The audience's shock suddenly turned to delight as they cheered this new addition.

"She", if this alien had a gender, had a football shaped head with three eyes, a body thin as a rail with little to no curves, and six arms. Her 'skin' was orange and her dress was red. Blue four-armed men carried her down the stage to the floor of the restaurant.

She sashayed towards Jack, her six arms waving with her walk. Jack did not raise his sword, but neither did he put it away.

The alien bowed.

"I am known as the Madame. This club belongs to me. I know who you are and I know why you are here. If you want to claim what you came here for, you have to go through me."


	4. The First Guardian

The lights all turned a deep shade of blue, draping the combatants in an eerie light. The Madame approached Jack slowly. She had no discernable legs, so her dress seemed to slide across the floor.

She raised her six arms to the ceiling. "The show must go on!"

The audience cheered in unison as the rhythm returned to the floor. The Madame stretched her six arms out. Into her open palms her performers placed six blades, each a short cutting instrument ranging from short swords to small axes.

She twisted and held the blades aggressively against the samurai who raised his sword in preparation for a new battle.

The Madame thrust her right arms, with Jack blocking and then thrusting himself. The Madame caught his attack with one of her left arms and then tried to use the other two to cut off Jack's arms. Jack pulled his arm back just in time and then slashed harmlessly in order to draw her forward.

The Madame threw an overhead slash with her left arms but then spun and rotated her body with the blow, creating a windmill effect as she slashed with her left arms and then right. She began to rain multiple blows with all her arms from every direction, keeping the samurai swinging near-wildly to keep himself from being skewered.

Jack deftly deflected his opponent, and then he finally saw his opening. Thrusting forward, he forced the Madame to block his blow with all six of his swords. Now Jack went on the offensive. Slashing at a pace near-impossible to all but a master of the sword, Jack suddenly threw the Madame off-balance and struggling to block Jack's blows despite her overwhelming number of weapons. Jack knocked one of her weapons away, which landed at a table, sending the patrons scrambling. She thrust with two more of her weapons, but Jack used his sword to twist her wrists and throw away the offending blades. The Madame raised her right hands to slash down, but Jack quickly spun and kicked upward, knocking the two blades harmlessly aside. Now with only a knife in one hand, Jack now had the advantage in weaponry.

The Madame looked at Jack. She sighed and then smiled. Holding the knife by its hilt, she stretched her arm outward and let the knife drop harmlessly to the ground, embedding itself into the floor. She bowed to the samurai.

Jack spun his sword and then placed it back in his sheath, then bowed back to his opponent.

The audience had never seen a more impressive spectacle in their entire lives.

* * *

"This is my finest tea. Please enjoy."

The Madame set down a cup of hot tea in front of Samurai Jack, emitting a steam that resembled pixies playing in the air.

They were in the back office of the club. The office was built like a small Hindi temple, the floor made of smooth sandstone with a few carpets for sitting. The office was filled with numerous artifacts and treasures, each with its own story to tell. Jack sat on a comfortable rug with the tea cup placed in front of him on fine china. The Madame stood next to him, making him slightly uncomfortable as she watched him with her third eye.

But the samurai had no time to question or explore. He had come there for a reason.

"You said you know who I am and of my quest."

"Yes. I have foreseen your arrival for a long time."

"And you still fought me?"

"You have come searching for the Guardian, and, by that logic, the immortal stones."

"Yes I have."

"Why?" She began to circle Jack at a very slow pace. Jack couldn't help but feel she was a lion waiting to pounce. "The stones are known to very few, and that's what the Guardian prefers. How did you come to know of the stones?"

Jack watched the Madame carefully. He had not touched the tea yet. He still questioned the affiliation of his current companion.

"By chance, I encountered an adventurer who had spent his life searching for artifacts for the benefits of others. He told me of the Immortal Stone, a stone that will grant the one who brings them together one wish. I intend to use the stone to return to my own time and defeat the evil that is Aku… once and for all. I humbly ask to meet the Guardian. My quest is noble and pure."

The Madame raised one arm to her chin, and then sighed.

"You have come in the right direction, samurai, but your quest does not end here. The information you received was only part of the story."

She poured herself a cup of tea and then sat down at a rug across from Jack. She lifted one hand and raised three fingers.

"There are three stones, and for each stone a guardian." She took a sip of her tea. "No matter how noble your quest, the guardians will not simply hand the stones over to you."

She placed down her tea and then raised all six of her hands. The candles in the room went off. From the corners of the rooms, holographic projectors slowly turned on, creating a slowly turning image of the galaxy above the two of them.

"Eons ago, before the beginning of time, there was nothing but the Eternal Darkness. When it came time for life to begin, the darkness refused to release its hold on the universe. The gods themselves made war with the darkness. It was a great and terrible battle. In the end, the gods defeated the Eternal, but a piece of its body broke off and fell through the universe, landing on this planet, the one called Earth. In time, it became the sorcerer known as Aku. The gods discovered Aku, but since he had become one with the planet, to destroy him was to destroy all of earth. Taking pity on the world, the gods used the good in the heart of one man, a mighty warrior, to forge that sword."

"My father?"

"Yes. But, in case the man failed, the gods placed three stones of great power on the planet. To the one who collects the stones, a single wish is granted. It was intended to destroy Aku. But if a wicked person or Aku himself collected the stones, the results would be disastrous. So, three guardians of enormous strength were tasked to guard the stones."

The Madame lowered her arms and the projectors turned off.

"Be wary, Samurai Jack. The guardians' sole existence is to protect the stones. You can expect my two compatriots to meet you with the same hostility as I."

Jack had his suspicions, but she had just confirmed them.

"Then…you are the guardian."

"You catch on quick. I am the first guardian. For centuries I have protected this stone from all who seek to take it."

She closed her third eye. When it reopened, in place of her eyeball was a green jewel of great beauty. She plucked it from her eye and then reached for Jack's hand. She placed the jewel gently into his palm and folded his fingers over it.

"Make your path into the frozen north. There you will find the second guardian. Protect the stone with all your might. Aku has searched for the stones for centuries. With such enormous power, you can see why I was forced to test you first. He will no doubt come after you. His very survival depends on it. He will send his most powerful warriors after you. There will be no rest, no joy, and no peace. From the moment you leave this place, you will be hunted."

Jack stood, his hand clutched tightly around the stone.

"I am prepared. I will see this quest through the end." He turned and headed towards the exit.

"Samurai!" Jack stopped in his place. The Madame walked behind the samurai and ran a finger down his shoulder. "Though we are sworn to protect the stones, by that extension we are sworn to protect life. I foresaw your arrival, and I can see your future. Do you truly need to go back in time to defeat Aku? If you had no choice, that you could defeat Aku but had to remain in the future, would you do it? You could…" she wrapped a few of her arms around Jack's torso, "…stay here."

Jack pushed off and headed for the door.

"Then remember this! From my years, I impart to you one lesson: Time does not matter… only life!"

Jack walked out the door into the silent night. Once again, he felt as if someone was watching him, but when he looked around his surroundings, he sensed no one. Pressing onward, he walked along the bank of the river headed north.

In the water, some ways behind him, a small black trail moved through the water, following his every move.


	5. The Second Guardian

Jack ran through the frozen north, the heat from his skin creating steam in the bone-chilling cold. He ran across a massive ice field, crossing the flows with the knowledge that a single slip would send him into the abyss never to return. Perhaps someday his frozen body would wash up on warmer shores, but for now, he tried his best to avoid a chilly grave.

It wasn't helping that Aku's droids now pursued him at every turn. A massive submarine shaped like a buzzsaw had come out of the ice, causing the ice to break into a million pieces. From the submarine eyeball shaped droids spilled, each with four limbs and each limb ending with a ski appendage. They spun and slid across the ice, attacking Jack with their razor sharp skis and trying to run him over.

To make matters even worse, the submarine's cannons fired towards Jack and the robots, smashing the ice and creating even more chaos.

Jack ran as hard as he could and made one of the longest jumps in his life, barely reaching the next floating ice island. Upon contact, he slipped, sliding across the platform and headed towards the water. Using his sword, Jack struck the ice, grinding the frozen water. Jack stopped mere inches from the edge, his feet dangling over the water. Pulling himself up, he rolled out of the way as one of Aku's robots tried to slice him in half by running over him. A second robot came towards Jack.

This time, Jack cut the legs out from under it. The robot split through the air and landed on the edge of an ice platform. Reaching desperately for survival, the robot could not hang on and fell into the water, its circuits hardening.

Seeing how the other robots were sliding across the ground, Jack took one of the fallen robot's legs and removed the blade on its end. One blade was large enough for Jack, so he dove to another ice flow, placing the blade beneath him. Upon reaching the platform, he slid off, clumsily at first, but getting the hang of it quickly. The submarine fired at him, but missed, striking several of Aku's robots. The rest of the mindless bots, ignorant to their comrades' demise, chased after the sledding samurai.

In the distance, the mountains were coming up fast. Jack would need to come up with a plan to take down his pursuers. But the ice suddenly broke ahead. The ice now threatened to break away from the land, leaving only the watery abyss beneath him!

Using his sword as a paddle, Jack pushed the sled as fast as he could, trying to build enough momentum to cross the increasing gap. Hitting the gap at full speed, Jack waited until he reached the apex of the jump and then dove off the sled praying for a fool's luck.

Hitting semi-solid ice, Jack thanked whatever lucky star he was born under as he slid across the ice into soft snow. He looked back to see the robots fire their afterburners. The submarine continued to fire its cannons toward the samurai.

Suddenly hundreds of icicles flew through the air like arrows, filling the sky with frozen weapons. The robots were quickly speared and the submarine became filled with more holes then a piece of Swiss cheese, making a pitiful groan as it sank into the frozen waters.

Suddenly a booming voice filled the air, shaking the mountain and causing several avalanches.

"KEEP IT DOWN I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!!!"

After the mountain finally stopped shaking, Jack looked towards the source of the voice. One of the cliffs had been hollowed out, with what appeared to be a massive door carved into the wall. Walking towards the snowy path Jack began his ascent up the mountain.

Despite the harsh battle it took to get to this point, the climb up the mountain was relatively peaceful. For the location of a guardian, it was most inauspicious. There were no signs that the mountain had been visited in a very long time and the climb was filled with animals who seemed most surprised to see a human. The animals treated Jack with curiosity or indifference. The weather was clear and in the sunlight it was warm contrary to the frozen mountain. There was no vegetation, but the snow and ice reflected the sun, reflecting a vast spectrum of colors, creating a masterpiece of natural beauty. Even with what the first guardian had said, this little climb was most peaceful.

Reaching the ledge where the door was located, Jack was suddenly hit by a gust of wind, which blew at gale forces for a few seconds, and then stopped suddenly. This cycle repeated constantly, and in the distance Jack could hear a loud baritone noise.

Waiting for the wind to stop, Jack charged inside the wind tunnel and hid in a stone alcove. He did this time and again, running between holes in the walls and hiding from the wind until it died down.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Jack found himself in a massive cavern. Across the cave was a bed made of ice with blankets made of snow. In the bed lay a massive being fast asleep, snoring loudly. He wore a gray night cloth and cap with a small poof ball at the end, and a blue scarf around his neck. His white hair and beard were so thick that the covered his entire face except for his long pointed nose, which had icicles formed on the end of it.

But across the room, floating above an ice pedestal was a small blue jewel that looked like a beautiful teardrop. It blinked quietly, its simple design hiding the direness of its purpose.

Jack took one step into the room, but the footstep echoed off the ice. The guardian snorted in his sleep. Jack stood very still and dared not make a sound. The giant creature's breathing went back to normal, and soon his snoring returned. Jack began to tiptoe across the floor, making sure to avoid anything that might make a sound.

Reaching the podium, Jack examined the jewel closely, checking it closely to try for traps. So far it had been incredibly easy to get to this point, but the first guardian's warning made him cautious. He pulled a rock out of his robes and tested its weight. He didn't know if it weighed the same as the second stone, but he had tested it against the first stone. Slowly he reached out with his hands, one to grab the stone and the other to replace it with the new one. Closer and closer he approached, trying to make as little movement as possible.

Suddenly, a black-clad hand shot out and grabbed the stone from right out in front of Jack. Looking up, Jack found himself face-to-face with a thief, cloaked from head to toe in black snow gear. The thief was hanging upside down from a rope that came out of a hole in the ceiling. The thief began to ascend.

Jack jumped into the air and grabbed the arm of the thief. Their combined weight stopped the rope from going up. Swinging back and forth, the thief finally let go, sending them both flying. They landed on the ice with a loud noise.

The guardian snorted and began rolling over. Jack and the thief both jumped behind ice pillars as the guardian shot up in bed. His eyes weren't visible underneath his white hair, but he seemed to stare straight. Snorting, he plopped down into bed. In seconds, his breathing became heavy and his snoring returned. He had thankfully not looked at the missing stone podium.

The thief lunged for the entrance, but Jack slid across the ice, jumping up and blocking the exit. The two of them swung at each other, but when they finally connected, the sound caused the guardian to snort again. Jack remained frozen, but the thief stepped on Jack's foot as hard as he could, not making a sound but Jack grimaced and put his hands over his mouth. The thief tried to get by, but Jack quickly reached out to grab the thief, but he ended up grabbing the thief's cowl, pulling it off.

From underneath the cowl black hair fell down to the thief's shoulders. Turning, Jack saw that the thief was a woman, and not just any woman. Though her skin was not painted white and her hair wasn't tied up, Jack realized that she was the singer from the club. The two of them stood frozen in their tracks.

Suddenly, a noise like a whirring motor filled the cavern, soft at first, but growing quickly louder. One ice wall exploded and several of Aku's robots on snowmobiles shaped like snow hares flew into the cavern, lasers blazing. To make matters worse, the explosion caused the ice to break and cave in on the entrance. For the icing on the cake, the guardian bolted right up in bed. Aku's robots, who hadn't planned on encountering the massive guardian, stopped in their tracks.

Not a single person moved in the cavern. The guardian looked at the Aku-bots, then at Jack and the woman…and then at the podium. He flinched when he realized that the pedestal was empty.

"MY STONEEEEEEEE!!!"

The guardian bounded out of bed and onto the floor, but everyone else was already moving. The thief ran to the nearest hole in the wall with Jack hot on heels, and the snow-bots right behind him. The guardian was, except for his arms, nothing but a giant snowball. He somersaulted forward, wrapping his head and limbs into his bulbous shape. Spinning forward, he became a giant snowball of death, and his target was whoever had stolen his precious stone, which right now was one of the creatures that just ran out of his bed chamber.

Jack chased the woman down winding hallways of ice. The ice walls were near-mirror in quality and several images of her appeared. One of aku's bots saw Jack. He charged Jack with his energy spear powered up. The samurai had his back turned and wasn't paying attention to the approaching enemy. What luck! This robot would bag the most wanted man alive! Three seconds…two seconds…one second… Jack turned and looked straight at his attacker.

The robot slammed into an ice mirror and exploded in a fury, shattering all the mirrors in this hall. The real Jack, standing safely down the cave, now able to see all around him without the distracting ice, saw the woman run down the other end. Jack ran in the direction of the woman, through the crammed hallway. Reaching an alcove, he found that the path was a steep icy slope downward into darkness. The sounds of engines came from behind him, as well as a rumbling in the distance. Giving himself up to fate, Jack dove down the slide.

The slide flew through the dark, and then opened into a platform with three more holes that led to more slides. Jack came upon the woman trying to decide which way to take.

"You! You were in the club as well! Why are you after the stones?"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

At that moment, two robots burst into the platform on their snowmobiles. In almost simultaneous movement, both Jack and the woman jumped into the air, delivering flying kicks to each of the robots. Flipping after the kick, they both landed at the exact same time and in the same pose.

"Flying crane?" was all Jack could muster. Before she could answer, the room began rumbling, as if an earthquake had hit the mountain. Ice began falling all over, spikes crashing near the two. The woman grabbed one of the fallen snowmobiles and fired it up, flying into one of the alcoves. Jack did the same, but he was not as familiar with this vehicle. He finally got it started as the guardian came crashing into the room Jack gunned the vehicle, barely holding on for life as he raced into another alcove.

When the tunnel opened, Jack found himself in a massive slalom. He flailed the vehicle wildly, trying to avoid all the icy debris and holes that littered this course. He did a loop-de-loop followed by a corkscrew, and he felt his stomach turning almost as much as the course.

Reaching a quick respite from the insanity of the course, Jack looked around. The other three paths were much like this one, looping in and around each other but mostly headed in the same direction. Jack saw that the woman was above him, driving furiously as the guardian had picked her path. Unfortunately, as both she and Jack realized, her path had broken off and reached into nothingness. Hitting the gap, the woman let go of the vehicle and fell through the air.

"Ah!" She cried out.

Jack sped the vehicle up as fast as possible, needing to get to the exact point necessary.

Jack reached out with his arm and grabbed her just as she was about to go over the side, pulling her onto his sled. They looked at each other without a word when suddenly the woman yelled,

"STOP!"

Jack slammed on the vehicle's brakes as the guardian crashed directly in front of them and rolled out the exit of the mountain. Jack followed with the woman perched on the back of his vehicle into the final tunnel and out into daylight.

The guardian tried to slow his roll, but he was going too fast and went over the edge. Unfurling, he grabbed the side with his hand and hung over a cliff. Looking down at his situation and then up at Jack and the woman, he smiled and chuckled.

"How embarrassing. I got so bored I took a nap and missed my cue." He looked straight at Jack. "You are the one I saw in my dreams. Remember this: if you arrive in a place where logic fails you, accept it! Take in your surroundings and trust the lessons of those who care for you to get you through. If we do not learn from those who have come before us, we are doomed to make their mistakes."

With that, the guardian let go of the cliff and fell into the clouds below.

Jack stood up and placed his hands together in a short prayer. The guardian was not evil, and he deserved a last tribute.

Finishing his prayer, Jack turned towards his next task only to find himself face-to-face with the woman. His reaction was to go for his sword, but nothing could have prepared him for what came next.

:Peck:

She kissed him on his right cheek, a very quick kiss, and then she began to back towards the edge. Jack was so surprised he didn't know what to say.

The woman reached the edge and then looked down at the clouds below. She looked back at Jack. "Don't get any ideas. That was for saving me. If you want the stone, you're going to have to come get it."

With that, she dove off the side of the cliff. Jack ran to the edge after her. Looking down, he watched as a hang glider snapped open from her back. Twisting in the wind, she flew off into the horizon.

Watching her fly off, Jack reached up and rubbed his right cheek. This was his second kiss, in the same spot as the first.


	6. The Third Guardian

Jack, clad in a cloak around his entire body to conceal his identity, approached a signpost on the dirt road through the swamp which he now passed through. On the sign was a piece of parchment with two demons drawn on it. One was the horse-headed demon, the other an ox-headed demon. Below them was written a trail marker. Climb these steps to the temple.

Jack began his ascent up the broken stairs, through the tangled vines and thorns wrapped around the stony climb. Upon reaching a plateau, Jack found himself in front of a small voodoo temple. Torches lit the area, the only light as all daylight was covered by the canopy of trees.

Moving to the entrance of the temple, Jack opened the wooden door and peered inside. The temple was pitch black except for the flicker of two stone fireplaces. The stone had been built into two square furnaces, and fire poured out the top. In the four corners of the room, Jack could make out the visages of numerous monks, all chanting quietly but creating a noise that almost deafened the ears. Monkey skulls lined the temple.

Jack approached the monk sitting at the most prominent spot in the temple. He was an humanoid ape creature, with a tight muscular body, long white hair cut in a most dignified manner, and sitting in such a way that he gave off a quiet serenity, a sense of unity with the entire universe, and yet apart from all others.

Jack bowed to the monk. The monk responded with a nod of his head. "I have traveled long and far, braved many obstacles, and faced many challenges. I seek to return to my own time and destroy the evil that is Aku, ending his tyranny over this world forever. I humbly ask for the immortal stone."

The monk did not say a word. Rather, his tail pointed in the direction of a door leading out the back. Jack bowed in thanks, which the ape once again returned with a nod. Jack walked to the back door and pushed it open.

In the back was a garden, kept in pristine order by the diligent monks. Jack moved through the garden, admiring its beauty. Strange swamp flowers and fruits grew from the plants, creating a vibrant palette in the drab swamp forest. Jack felt at ease, but then he placed his hand on his sword. Remembering that he had the same thoughts about the last guardian, plus the guardian's last words, he would not make the same mistake twice.

At the end of the garden lay a pedestal. It was the same pedestal he had seen in the second guardian's room; only this one was made of stone and covered in moss rather than ice. However, this pedestal was empty. There was no jewel in this garden.

Something moved in the trees above him. A small figure lowered down behind him on a tail, but as soon as Jack turned around it scurried back into the trees.

"Hello?" asked Jack. "I have come looking for the immortal stone." No answer. "Do you know where it is?"

"Why yes kuru kuru." Jack turned to find himself face-to-face with a small monkey hanging upside down from his tail. The monkey's long white beard kept falling in his face. "Know it well I do, for hid it I did kuru kuru.'

"You are the guardian?"

"Yes, yes, kuru, kuru! Hid it well I did, pick it up all you need to do kuru kuru." The guardian began searching through his fur. Finding a bug, he ate it happily.

"Where is it?" Jack was elated. Perhaps his quest was finally coming to an end.

"Hid it under a strange symbol I did, hid it in the Pit of Hate I did kuru kuru!"

Jack could not believe the guardian's words. "You hid the immortal stone in Aku's prison?!?"

"Aku doesn't know, Aku doesn't know its right under his nose and Aku doesn't know kuru kuru!" The monkey bounced and sang happily, obviously quite pleased with himself.

"You are supposed to be its guardian. How could you do something so foolish?'

"Foolish you say kuru kuru? Want the stone, many people do, Aku as well kuru kuru. Come they did, many at a time, no peace no peace kuru kuru. Use my opponent's strength against him, I did, make his advantage my advantage kuru kuru. Oppose Aku, no one dared kuru kuru. Enter the Pit of Hate willingly, no one would kuru kuru. Safe the stone would be, and is to today kuru kuru."

Jack sighed, but the logic was sound, if somewhat skewed.

"I see. It makes sense, considering all I've been told. Do you have a lesson for me before I go?"

The monkey smacked Jack on the head with a stick. "Pay attention! Lesson I have already taught you kuru kuru!'

Jack rubbed his head. "Make…my opponent's advantage is my advantage?" Jack really didn't understand it. Of course, the other guardian's lessons didn't make much sense either.

"Got it you do kuru kuru. Good luck, great samurai."

With that, Samurai Jack turned and exited the garden from where he came, through the temple, and down the stairs to the road and the next challenge.

The guardian watched him leave.

"Done all we can have we kuru kuru."

He could hear the voices of the other two guardians in his head. They too watched Jack head towards his next destination.

"It is up to the people of this world now," said the second guardian.

"It is time for us to take our leave," the first guardian replied.

All three spoke as one.

"The gods put their trust in you, Samurai Jack. You are their last hope (kuru kuru)."


	7. The Pit of Hate

**All lyrics written by author.**

The Pit of Hate.

The mere mention of that name is enough to turn any subject of Aku into a quivering mass. The hellish prison for anyone who ever dared to oppose Aku, as well as the gathering ground for all of Aku's most powerful demons, it is a dark and hideous place of eternal terror. No one had ever returned from the Pit of Hate. No one had ever gone into the Pit of Hate voluntarily. It was considered insanity.

In the bowels of the Pit of Hate, the prisoners were forced to perform endless labor, futile tasks, and meaningless jobs, all the while in intense heat as the fires of the pit licked their feet and the terrifying demons taking great sport in terrorizing and beating the prisoners constantly.

On a level filled with lava, the master of masters, the shogun of sorrow, the great and powerful sorcerer known as Aku, stood with his demonic followers. They were of every size and shape, ranging from humanoid to the deformed to the downright hideous. All stood in reverence to their dark lord and master.

"Masssssterrrr…" said a demon shaped like a multi-eyed bug, "whyyyy havveee weee beeennnn callleeedddd bacckkkk tooo thissss planneettt?" The pincers over his mouth clicked when he spoke. His fellow demons grunted in agreement.

"My warriors," spoke the master of darkness, "you have served me well expanding my rule to the stars and beyond. But a warrior on this planet seeks to ruin everything. He has begun searching for the three stones of immortality. Should he collect them, he will have the power to destroy me once and for all. Now go! Find the remaining stones, find the samurARRGGHHH!!"

Aku suddenly doubled over in pain.

"Master, what has happened?"

"It cannot be. The barrier for the Pit of Hate was destroyed. Who would dare attack this place?"

He opened a vortex through which it was possible to see the intruder.

"No."

Samurai Jack cut off the head of a demon guard and proceeded to roll under the blade of the other, turning and severing that guard in half. Ten more guards rushed Jack, attacking with hundreds of arms and blades, but Jack nimbly cut down their limbs, broke their weapons, and thrust his sword through their bodies, burning the demonic blood inside them with the power of the magic sword. More guards attacked him with whips, catching Jack's arms. They held his arms steady as more guards armed arrows and aimed them at Jack.

Moving quickly, Jack used all his strength to pull the whips, flipping the guards on the other end in front of him. The guards fired their arrows, piercing their compatriots, who fell into black goo and returned to their master, causing him to scream out in pain.

"YAAHHGGGHH!!"

The slaves began to look up from their labor and rub their eyes. Were they really seeing what was happening?

As Jack ran by some slaves, he slashed their chains.

"Run for the surface! You are free!" Jack shouted.

Fighting his way into the main chamber, Jack ran from level to level, fighting Aku's demons as they charged upward while the samurai fought his way deeper and deeper. Bladed demons ran at him with swords but quickly broke themselves on Jack's mystical sword. Flying demons swooped at him with bladed wings, but even their great speed was no match for the samurai's agility. He rolled, slashed, kicked, and then with a great swipe sent hundreds of demons crashing into each other and falling to the abyss below.

On these narrow walkways, the sheer numbers of Aku's demons meant nothing, as Jack funneled them into his sword. Fighting downward, Jack released wave after wave of slaves. Men, women, children, aliens, robots, and many species he had met and many he had never seen before, he broke all their chains. There were imprisoned people from every time period of earth, from cavemen to Greeks, samurai and minutemen. They all ran towards the surface, crying out to their savior as they ran to freedom,

"Bless you, sir! Be safe!"

The path finally leveled out. Jack returned to the main chamber and found himself over top of lava. There were no more levels to climb or go down. On the other side of the platform was a hole in the wall and into blackness. Jack stepped forward into the chamber. Not a sound could be heard except for the bubbling of the lava, the quiet unsettling compared to the brutal charge into the pit.

Jack took one step forward. Two more steps. Then three. Nothing happened. Jack observed his surroundings. This was impossible. Never was he given any respite, especially not now, not in the belly of the beast. Jack now stood in the center of the lava platform. Still, nothing shot out of the lava, nothing tried to crush him, or spear him, or even reveal its presence.

Listening carefully, Jack tensed his body. Turning quickly, he slashed behind him. His sword struck black goo. The invisible creature behind him turned visible and began to burn away.

"Hooowwww dddiiiddd yoooouuuu knooowwww?"

Now the platform shook violently. The lava began to burst large bubbles. Something was coming up.

The lava parted, revealing metal. A massive metal creature, its head shaped like Aku, with a mighty metallic grin, giant metallic eyes on its shoulders, and a nuclear engine in its chest, rose out of the burning lava. Its engine burst to life, rotating like a jet and creating a large exhaust funnel. It was thirty feet high and looked down on the samurai. With its massive grin, it appeared to be laughing at him.

"saMURai ja-CK…" Its eyes glowed bright yellow and the sound of it charging power filled the room. Jack prepared for the laser eye beams, but instead of a fast-firing beam, circles of light fired out, slowly falling to the ground. The first circled around Jack. In a flash, it shrunk quickly. Jack dove out of circle, not wanting to know what would happen if it wrapped around him. Flipping backwards, he dove through several circles, each closing as he jumped through.

The machine's shoulders opened wide, revealing a silo of missiles hidden inside. Firing them all off at once, they all homed in on the samurai. Jack was caught off-guard. There was no room to maneuver to avoid all these missiles. Jack tried to run in a circle, but the explosions sent him flying. Sliding across the rock, he barely managed to grab the edge and go over the pit into the lava below. Pulling himself upward, Jack instantly had to jump for his life as a massive hand smashed where he was mere seconds before.

"De-stroy! De-stroy!" The machine flailed wildly crushing the platform to pieces. The lava shot into the air, burning the already crumbling land and creating little to no room to run in the already claustrophobic surroundings. The only way for Jack to go…was directly at his opponent.

Jack charged the mammoth machine as it swung wildly towards him. He jumped onto the arm, climbing the arm while slashing the whole way up. As he reached the shoulder, he jumped off the machine and grabbed onto the rock wall. The machine turned and tried to swat him. The arm, however, refused to lift, and eventually small explosions came out of the joint. The machine grinded in agony.

"Arrrooggggahhhhreaaaa!!!"

Its grin opened wide, and a bolt of power fired out towards Jack, blasting a hole in the wall. Jack scurried along the wall as the Aku-bot fired out of control. What it didn't realize was that Jack wasn't running around wildly. The Aku-bot had blown out the supports for the walkway above him. The rocks crumbled and an enormous roar filled the air as the supports broke and the walkway crumbled directly on top of the robot.

With a mighty crash, the weight of the rock pinned the robot with a crushing force on the ground. It groaned and cried out like a wounded animal.

CLING!

With a final thrust, Jack plunged his sword into the machine's head, shattering the grin into a million pieces.

"L-lorD…Aku…I…FaiLEd…fATHeR…" The machine fell silent, its agony over.

The entire pit shook violently. Jack ran into the hole on the other side of the pit, searching frantically for the symbol that the guardian spoke of. This was the deepest, darkest part of the pit. But all that was down here were prison cells with rusted old bars that had not appeared to be used in centuries. Looking inside each as the rocks crumbled around him, Jack finally came to the last cell.

He searched every corner of the cell. There was nothing he…wait.

Could it be?

In the last corner of the cell, above a small mouse hole, there was the crest of his family carved into the wall.

Not bothering to think it over, Jack dove for the hole and reached inside. He pulled out four letters – and a red jewel, its color as fierce as fire. Jack turned and charged out the way he came. When he came to the main chamber, he began to bound upward, praying that his jumping wouldn't fail him. The chamber crumbled as the lava rose below it, rocks falling everywhere threatening to crush the samurai's ascent. The walkways crumbled and Jack was forced to use the falling rocks to climb. Diving for the surface, Jack grabbed the only handholds he could find and scramble upward. Now, the lava reached the technology of the Pit, and the machines began to explode. An explosion dislodged an enormous rock, sending it straight at Jack.

With one hand holding on for dear life, Jack grabbed his sword with the other and…

* * *

Outside, a crowd of people gathered with all the commotion. As the slaves rushed out, they told of the warrior who had gone in. Surely he would not return? Surely it was madness and he had been overwhelmed?

Now, the tower that sat above the pit was rocked with explosions. The ground beneath it cracked, then ripped into pieces. The tower plunged downward into the earth, leaving a massive chasm from which smoke and dust spewed. Explosions came from the chasm, followed by more dust, and then…silence.

The people looked out on the destruction. No one could have survived that collapse. Some of the freed slaves cried. Others tried to comfort the prisoners. Who was that man that charged in so boldly and saved them all?

Suddenly a cry went up from the people. At the edge of the chasm, a single hand reached out and grabbed the edge. The former prisoners quickly ran up and pulled him to safety. It was the man who had saved them, none other than Samurai Jack.

The people cheered, lifting their voices in song. Even though they had been slaves barely able to walk mere minutes before, their freedom gave them new strength. Jack walked in the center as the procession walked to freedom.

_"Sing for that day has come…sing for our hero, our freedom he won…now we go home…to see mother and father…our sons and our daughters…in peace we finally live our lives…never to be slaves again…"_

* * *


	8. Jill

**All lyrics written by author**

* * *

_  
_

_The Samurai's Samba._

That was the name emblazoned in neon lights directly overtop the entrance to the underground club which was shaped to look as if one was entering the mouth of a demon. Underneath the name was a badly drawn picture of Samurai Jack. Spot-lights fired high into the sky, leading the nightlife of the city straight to the club for a night of revelry and sin. A line stretched around the block, and some big and mean-looking aliens manned the ropes, so no one dared try to sneak in.. Various ravers and club-goers strode past the Japanese man dressed in a white robe with a sword at his side, standing still and staring at the glowing sign draped above him.

Jack really couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. A club dedicated to him. Who would be so callous?

Jack really didn't want to go inside. The music hurt his ears and his brain. Did people of this time really consider a deafening beat music? Unfortunately, his quest demanded that he enter. The object he was searching for, and the person who had it, were both inside this establishment.

Jack walked up to the ropes, where one of the large alien men held out an equally large hand.

"Hold on there buddy. You ain't getting in unless you're on the list."

"I would like to see the owner." Jack asked politely.

"Name?" The alien held a clipboard in one hand which was puny compared

"Jack."

"Sorry, you ain't on the list."

Jack didn't say a word, but in his mind he groaned loudly. He tried to reason with the alien.

"I am Samurai Jack. I have come a very long way, I am exhausted, and the object I require to end my quest is in this establishment. Now please stand aside and allow me through."

"I told you," the bouncer grunted, "you ain't on the list, you ain't getting in. Go wait in line like everyone else."

Jack pointed upwards.

"That is me in that picture. This club is obviously based on me."

The alien looked up at the picture, then down at his clipboard.

"I don't see the resemblance," the alien grunted.

From the entrance, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Bruno! It's okay, let him in, seee…"

Jack looked down to find the Boss and his group of pint-sized gangsters manning the door to the club.

"Oh, hello again," Jack said, not exactly thrilled to run into these mini-mobsters.

"Yeann, is that any way to greet some old friends?" the boss said, chewing on his cigar almost unconsciously. ""Check it out Jackie Boy. We've got the hottest nightclub in the entire world and it's all thanks to you."

He pointed to the glowing sign above them. Jack didn't bother to look up. It all made sense now. Though annoyed, Jack wasn't going to bring it up with them.

"I guess it's better than crime. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Jack tried to walk inside, but the gangsters quickly stepped in front of him to block him.

"Woah, hold on there Jackie. I don't know if you should go in there. This club ain't exactly your type."

Jack's temper was now being tested. Perhaps old habits died hard, but promises were sacred to Jack.

"There aren't…**criminal** activities going on, is there?" Jack glared at the gangsters. They knew his strength and knew not to mess with him.

The boss waved his hands wildly, his eyes wide open.

"No, no, of course not! What I'm trying to say is…umm…break it down for him, will you Needles?"

The smooth talking member of the gang didn't look straight at Jack, but rather rubbed the back of his neck while he spoke.

"Heh, heh…what the boss is trying to say is, um…this place is a bit more…classy… then you're used to."

Jack raised a single eyebrow. They always seemed to be playing an angle. Now, it was Mr. Pibbles who spoke up.

"Yeah yeah, what we're saying is there's a dress code. But don't worry, I got just the thing."

Inside the club, a latin techno beat played. While the DJ spun his discs, a live salsa band played brass along with the music.

"_Oh baby, you're driving me crazy, don't you know I could be your lady, yeaheeeaahhh…"_

The club had a massive dance floor, plenty of seats scattered around for people to sit and talk, and a bar in the back. Sitting alone at the bar was a Japanese woman of about twenty-five years with long black hair. She fiddled with her drink, paying no attention to the excitement around her.

A man's voice cut through the music.

"Excuse me."

She turned to find a Japanese man of the same age, his hair tied back in a loptop. He no longer wore his traditional gi though. Jack was now dressed in a blue striped suit, much like the one when he joined the gangsters, but he did not wear a tie or collared white shirt. Instead, he was shirtless with the top buttons of his vest unlatched, providing a hint of his chest underneath the suit.

She looked at him first with surprise, and then with delight.

"Wow. Look at you." She turned towards him. Jack almost doubled over when he saw what she was wearing. She had on a sleeveless black dress that was cut from the neck down to just below the navel. Her mid-section was almost completely bare, with the fabric just barely covering the extremities of her chest. The fabric seemed to hold on tenuously, as if it were gel and not fiber. The stone, the jewel that was shaped like a tear, hung in a necklace.

Jack was speechless for a moment, then recovered and went straight to business.

"Please hand over the stone." He held out his hand. She bent forward and curled her lips into a pout.

"Awww. And here I thought you came to see me. Sit down, stay awhile. Have a drink. Sake?" She patted the chair next to her. Jack did not take the invitation.

"No. I would like the stone."

The girl turned back towards the bar, picked up her drink and knocked it down. She didn't look at Jack, but instead stared at the empty glass in her hand.

"There is _nothing_ that would interest you in sticking around?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Jack stood straight up.

"No."

Without a word, the girl placed her glass down on the table, left her chair, and headed out to the dance floor. Jack immediately pursued.

"Wait!"

Jack suddenly found his pursuit broken when two massive aliens stepped in between him and the girl. One of them held out a hand.

"You missed your chance, punk. Get out."

The two of them refused to move. Jack started to bend his knees in preparation for a fight. The gangsters had confiscated his sword, so he would be at a disadvantage, and there were many innocents in this club who had nothing to do with any of this.

Suddenly, another familiar voice broke the tension.

"Oh ho ho, looks like Jack got the click-clack shot down!"

"Jack was like 'hey hey hey' and she was all like 'oh no you did-n't'!"

"That's what you get when you hit on the jillest girl in the world. She's so jill, she's ice cold!"

Jack found the source of the voices to be the three homeboys he met in the very first few moments he had entered the future. They stood against the wall, their heads bobbing to the music.

"You know her?" Jack asked them immediately.

"Kinda." Said the first homeboy.

"What do you mean?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Jack-man, everyone _knows_ who she is…"

"..but nobody knows who she really is…"

"…so everybody just calls her Jill, on account she's so Jill, she's like ice. She comes here and dances all the time. _Nobody_ challenges her."

Jack looked through the crowd into the dance circle, where this Jill had taken center stage.

"Don't try it Jack-man. You gotta have the moves to go up against her. You're just gonna get served."

As if he didn't hear a word, Jack moved into the gyrating crowd, pushing through the aliens and ravers jamming to the music. Once again, as he reached the center, the large aliens blocked his path and pounded their fists in a threatening manner.

"A challenge!" shouted Jack. "For the stone!"

Jill held up her hand and the music stopped. "A high stakes challenge. Not to be taken lightly. One match, best fighter wins." She ran her finger along her neck. "I win, I take your life."

"And if I win?" asked Jack.

She licked her lips.

"Let's raise the pot. You win, you can have the stone…and me."


End file.
